--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The cynic is goodhearted beneath his…" description: "\"“The cynic is goodhearted beneath his facade, whereas the sentimentalist is flint-hearted beneath his.”\" — Sydney J. Harris" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3e/sydney-j-harris-1578_cynic_the-cynic-is-goodhearted-beneath-his-fac_244971.png" --- # The cynic is goodhearted beneath his facade, whereas the… ![“The cynic is goodhearted beneath his facade, whereas the sentimentalist is flint-hearted beneath his.” quote by Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3e/sydney-j-harris-1578_cynic_the-cynic-is-goodhearted-beneath-his-fac_244971.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3e/sydney-j-harris-1578_cynic_the-cynic-is-goodhearted-beneath-his-fac_244971.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3e/sydney-j-harris-1578_cynic_the-cynic-is-goodhearted-beneath-his-fac_244971.png) > ““The cynic is goodhearted beneath his facade, whereas the sentimentalist is flint-hearted beneath his.”” [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A cynic hides a good heart behind sarcasm, while a sentimentalist conceals a hard heart behind emotion. **In simple terms:** Cynics seem harsh but care; sentimentalists seem warm but can be cold. Key Takeaway Look beyond outward attitudes to understand true motives. Themes cynicism sentimentality authenticity Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - interpersonal relationships - self‑reflection Key Concepts psychology human behavior Questions to Reflect On - What masks might we wear in social interactions? - How does sarcasm protect vulnerability? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cynic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynic/) [Cynic Goodhearted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynic-goodhearted-2448285/) [Facade Sentimentalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facade-sentimentalist-2448284/) [Sentimentalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentimentalist-436713/) [Sentimentalist Flint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentimentalist-flint-2448286/) ## Related quotes > [What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. And a sentimentalist, my dear Darlington, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/what-is-a-cynic-a-man-who-knows-the-price-of-everything-and-the-value-3/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Cynic' is the sentimentalist's name for the realist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-heilbrun/cynic-is-the-sentimentalist-s-name-for-the-realist/) [Carolyn Heilbrun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-heilbrun/) > [“A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past; he is one who is prematurely disappointed in the future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/a-cynic-is-not-merely-one-who-reads-bitter-lessons-from-the-past-he/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past, his is also one who is permanently disappointed in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/a-cynic-is-not-merely-one-who-reads-bitter-lessons-from-the-past-his/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [I don't ever want to be a sentimentalist. I prefer to be a realist. I'm not a romantic really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-earl-jones/i-don-t-ever-want-to-be-a-sentimentalist-i-prefer-to-be-a-realist-i-m/) [James Earl Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-earl-jones/) > [“He is not, he hopes, a sentimentalist. He tries not to sentimentalize the animals he kills, or to sentimentalize Bev Shaw. He avoids saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee/he-is-not-he-hopes-a-sentimentalist-he-tries-not-to-sentimentalize/) [J.M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/) > [Nature is no sentimentalist, - does not cosset or pamper us. We must see that the world is rough and surly, and will not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/nature-is-no-sentimentalist-does-not-cosset-or-pamper-us-we-must-see/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“We must distinguish between ‘sentimental’ and ‘sensitive’. A sentimentalist may be a perfect brute in his free time. A sensitive person is never a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/we-must-distinguish-between-sentimental-and-sensitive-a/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“Very often, those who express concern about (or even interest in) the conditions in which farmed animals are raised are disregarded as sentimentalists. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-safran-foer/very-often-those-who-express-concern-about-or-even-interest-in-the/) [Jonathon Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-safran-foer/) > [“This is the inevitable fate of the sentimentalist. All his opinions change into their opposites at the first brush of reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/this-is-the-inevitable-fate-of-the-sentimentalist-all-his-opinions/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [One tires of a page of which every sentence sparkles with points, of a sentimentalist who is always pumping the tears from his eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/one-tires-of-a-page-of-which-every-sentence-sparkles-with-points-of-a/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [“Sentimentalist” is the abuse with which people counter the accusation that they are cruel, thereby implying that to be sentimental is worse than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-brophy/sentimentalist-is-the-abuse-with-which-people-counter-the-accusation/) [Brigid Brophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-brophy/) > [I love being sentimental and remembering things. I literally am a sentimentalist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-centineo/i-love-being-sentimental-and-remembering-things-i-literally-am-a/) [Noah Centineo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-centineo/) > [“You see in such a world as this, an idealist -or perhaps it's only a sentimentalist-must be stoned to death. He makes the others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ford-madox-ford/you-see-in-such-a-world-as-this-an-idealist-or-perhaps-it-s-only-a/) [Ford Madox Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ford-madox-ford/) > [The sentimentalist ages far more quickly than the person who loves his work and enjoys new challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillie-langtry/the-sentimentalist-ages-far-more-quickly-than-the-person-who-loves/) [Lillie Langtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillie-langtry/) ## More by Sydney J. Harris > [This is a lesson mankind has not yet learned. We identify, and stratify, and treat persons largely on the basis of their accidental (physical)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/this-is-a-lesson-mankind-has-not-yet-learned-we-identify-and-stratify/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Character is something you forge for yourself; temperament is something you are born with and can only slightly modify.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/character-is-something-you-forge-for-yourself-temperament-is/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Middle Age is that perplexing time of life when we hear two voices calling us, one saying, 'Why not?' and the other, 'Why bother?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/middle-age-is-that-perplexing-time-of-life-when-we-hear-two-voices/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [The profound immoralities of our time are cruelty, indifference, injustice and the use of others as means rather than ends in themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/the-profound-immoralities-of-our-time-are-cruelty-indifference/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Marriages we regard as the happiest are those in which each of the partners believes he or she got the best of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/marriages-we-regard-as-the-happiest-are-those-in-which-each-of-the/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [“...it calls for deciding things on their own merit, not because you read it or were told it or grew up believing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/it-calls-for-deciding-things-on-their-own-merit-not-because-you-read/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Ignorance per se is not nearly as dangerous as ignorance of ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/ignorance-per-se-is-not-nearly-as-dangerous-as-ignorance-of-ignorance/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Patriotism is proud of a country's virtues and eager to correct its deficiencies; it also acknowledges the legitimate patriotism of other countries, with their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/patriotism-is-proud-of-a-country-s-virtues-and-eager-to-correct-its/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past, his is also one who is permanently disappointed in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/a-cynic-is-not-merely-one-who-reads-bitter-lessons-from-the-past-his/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Time is love, above all else. It is the most precious commodity in the world and should be lavished on those we care most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/time-is-love-above-all-else-it-is-the-most-precious-commodity-in-the/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Just about the only interruption we don't object to is applause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/just-about-the-only-interruption-we-don-t-object-to-is-applause/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Any philosophy that can be put in a nutshell belongs there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/any-philosophy-that-can-be-put-in-a-nutshell-belongs-there/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [“Like all persecuted minority groups, they strike back by forming cabals, by “taking over” certain spheres of activity (in the arts, for instance), and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/like-all-persecuted-minority-groups-they-strike-back-by-forming/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Intolerance is the most socially acceptable form of egotism, for it permits us to assume superiority without personal boasting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/intolerance-is-the-most-socially-acceptable-form-of-egotism-for-it/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [“Our dilemma is that we hate change and love it at the same time; what we really want is for things to reamin the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/our-dilemma-is-that-we-hate-change-and-love-it-at-the-same-time-what/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) [Explore all 226 Sydney J. Harris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) ## More Cynic quotes > [The only activity a cynic will find contagious is yawning, that is, with other people, at other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/the-only-activity-a-cynic-will-find-contagious-is-yawning-that-is/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [Cynicism masquerades as wisdom, but it is the farthest thing from it. Because cynics don’t learn anything. Because cynicism is a self-imposed blindness, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/cynicism-masquerades-as-wisdom-but-it-is-the-farthest-thing-from-it/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [“That's what I've never been able to get about religion: that charmless combination of altruism and insanity. Give me a cynical, self-interested bastard any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey/that-s-what-i-ve-never-been-able-to-get-about-religion-that-charmless/) [Mike Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-carey/) > [Why should we strive, with cynic frown, to knock their fairy castles down?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-cook/why-should-we-strive-with-cynic-frown-to-knock-their-fairy-castles/) [Eliza Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-cook/) > [Only the broken-hearted idealist can become a cynic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-clifton/only-the-broken-hearted-idealist-can-become-a-cynic/) [Mark Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-clifton/) > [I get the cynicism thing all the time, although I don't really know where that comes from, because I think I'm actually the opposite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-taibbi/i-get-the-cynicism-thing-all-the-time-although-i-don-t-really-know/) [Matt Taibbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-taibbi/) > [“Skeptics are always marked by their total lack of skepticism towards whatever position they are defending.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-madison/skeptics-are-always-marked-by-their-total-lack-of-skepticism-towards/) [Steve Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-madison/) > [“Listen, O lord of the meeting rivers, things standing shall fall, but the moving ever shall stay.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basava/listen-o-lord-of-the-meeting-rivers-things-standing-shall-fall-but/) [Basava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basava/) > [An executive should be a realist; and no one is less realistic than the cynic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/an-executive-should-be-a-realist-and-no-one-is-less-realistic-than/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [Remember that all is opinion. For what was said by the Cynic Monimus is manifest: and manifest too is the use of what was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/remember-that-all-is-opinion-for-what-was-said-by-the-cynic-monimus/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [The idea of The Boy Vs. The Cynic is the tension between the wide-eyed optimism in youthfulness where you think nothing can go wrong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-reuben-zappin/the-idea-of-the-boy-vs-the-cynic-is-the-tension-between-the-wide-eyed/) [John Reuben Zappin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-reuben-zappin/) > [The cynic makes fun of all earnestness; he makes fun of everything and everyone who feels that something can be done. . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-edgar-vincent/the-cynic-makes-fun-of-all-earnestness-he-makes-fun-of-everything-and/) [George Edgar Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-edgar-vincent/) > [To me it seems to be important to believe people to be good even if they tend to be bad, because your own joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/to-me-it-seems-to-be-important-to-believe-people-to-be-good-even-if/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [ \[in the\]..curious way that my idealism has been mixed with my fatalism, so that I can possess the soul of a dreamer and that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/in-the-curious-way-that-my-idealism-has-been-mixed-with-my-fatalism/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [The only way to do my job without optimism would be as a cynic, and that's not my nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-snow/the-only-way-to-do-my-job-without-optimism-would-be-as-a-cynic-and/) [Jon Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-snow/) [Browse all 217 Cynic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cynic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The cynic is goodhearted beneath his facade, whereas the sentimentalist is flint-hearted beneath his.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sydney J. 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